Isaiah 47:11

Isaiah 47:11 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know.
• New International Version (NIV)Disaster will come upon you, and you will not know how to conjure it away. A calamity will fall upon you that you cannot ward off with a ransom; a catastrophe you cannot foresee will suddenly come upon you.
• English Standard Version (ESV)But evil shall come upon you, which you will not know how to charm away; disaster shall fall upon you, for which you will not be able to atone; and ruin shall come upon you suddenly, of which you know nothing.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore evil shall come upon you; You shall not know from where it arises. And trouble shall fall upon you; You will not be able to put it off. And desolation shall come upon you suddenly, Which you shall not know.

Context of Isaiah 47:11

9Well, both these things will come upon you in a moment: widowhood and the loss of your children. Yes, these calamities will come upon you, despite all your witchcraft and magic. 10“You felt secure in your wickedness. ‘No one sees me,’ you said. But your ‘wisdom’ and ‘knowledge’ have led you astray, and you said, ‘I am the only one, and there is no other.’ So disaster will overtake you, and you won’t be able to charm it away. Calamity will fall upon you, and you won’t be able to buy your way out. A catastrophe will strike you suddenly, one for which you are not prepared. 12“Now use your magical charms! Use the spells you have worked at all these years! Maybe they will do you some good. Maybe they can make someone afraid of you. 13All the advice you receive has made you tired. Where are all your astrologers, those stargazers who make predictions each month? Let them stand up and save you from what the future holds.

Isaiah 47:11 word by word

וּבָ֧א עָלַ֣יִךְ רָעָ֗ה לֹ֤א תֵדְעִי֙ שַׁחְרָ֔הּ וְתִפֹּ֤ל עָלַ֙יִךְ֙ הֹוָ֔ה לֹ֥א תוּכְלִ֖י כַּפְּרָ֑הּ וְתָבֹ֨א עָלַ֧יִךְ פִּתְאֹ֛ם שׁוֹאָ֖ה לֹ֥א תֵדָֽעִי׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Therefore shall evilרָעָהra‛ râ‛âh · distress: evilH7451
• comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• upon thee; thou shalt not knowיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• from whence it risethשַׁ֫חַרshachar · dawnH7837
• and mischiefהֹוָהhôvâh · misfortuneH1943
• shall fallנָפַלnâphal · to fall: fallH5307
• upon thee; thou shalt not be ableיָכֹלyâkôl yâkôl · be ableH3201
• to put it offכִּפֶּרkâphar · to atoneH3722
• and desolationשׁוֹאָהshô' shô'âh shô'âh · devastationH7722
• upon thee suddenlyפִּתְאֹםpith'ôm pith'ôm · suddenlyH6597

Cross-references for Isaiah 47:11

• Isaiah 37:36That night the angel of the Lord went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. When the surviving Assyrians woke up the next morning, they found corpses everywhere.
• Exodus 12:29And that night at midnight, the Lord struck down all the firstborn sons in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn son of the prisoner in the dungeon. Even the firstborn of their livestock were killed.
• Nehemiah 4:11Meanwhile, our enemies were saying, “Before they know what’s happening, we will swoop down on them and kill them and end their work.”
• Revelation 3:3Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.
• Psalms 50:22Repent, all of you who forget me, or I will tear you apart, and no one will help you.
• Jeremiah 51:39And while they lie inflamed with all their wine, I will prepare a different kind of feast for them. I will make them drink until they fall asleep, and they will never wake up again,” says the Lord.
• Daniel 5:25“This is the message that was written: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:3When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape.
• Revelation 18:9And the kings of the world who committed adultery with her and enjoyed her great luxury will mourn for her as they see the smoke rising from her charred remains.
• Matthew 18:34Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.
• Luke 12:59And if that happens, you won’t be free again until you have paid the very last penny.”

Commentaries on Isaiah 47:11

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11Thou shalt not know from whence it riseth "Thou shalt not know how to deprecate" - שחרה shachrah ; so the Chaldee renders it, which is approved by Jarchi on the place; and Michaelis Epim. in Praelect. xix.; see Psalm 78:34. Videtur in fine hujus commatis deese verbum, ut hoc membrum prioribus respondeat. "A word appears to be wanting at the end of this clause to connect it properly with the two preceding." - Secker. In order to set in a proper light this…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11Therefore shall evil come upon thee - In consequence of thy pride and self-confidence; of the prevalence of corruption, licentiousness, and sin; of the prevalence of the arts of magic and of divination abounding there; and of the cruel and unfeeling oppression of the people of God; for all these crimes ruin shall come certainly and suddenly upon thee. Thou shalt not know from whence it cometh - Margin, The morning thereof.‘ The margin expresses the true…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-15Verses 7-15 Let us beware of acting and speaking as Babylon did; of trusting in tyranny and oppression; of boasting as to our abilities, relying on ourselves, and ascribing success to our own prudence and wisdom; lest we partake of her plagues. Those in the height of prosperity, are apt to fancy themselves out of the reach of adversity. It is also common for sinners to think they shall be safe, because they think to be secret in wicked ways. But their…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5-11Babylon was known for its confidence and arrogance (see Isaiah 14:13–17; Daniel 4:30). The nation's charms, magic, and wisdom could not stop the disaster planned for it.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1111. from whence it riseth--Hebrew, "the dawn thereof," that is, its first rising. Evil shall come on thee without the least previous intimation [Rosenmuller]. But dawn is not applied to "evil," but to prosperity shining out after misery (Is 21:12). Translate, "Thou shall not see any dawn" (of alleviation) [Maurer]. put ... off--rather, as Margin, "remove by expiation"; it shall be never ending. not know--unawares: which thou dost not apprehend. Proving…Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 47:11

• Infidelity
• Sorcery
• Wisdom

In the dictionaries

• Sport
• Wroth
• Isaiah
• Magic; Magician
• Mark, the Gospel According to
• Saviour

Commentaries on Isaiah 47

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings